New Year, New Customer Base!

The holidays are a great time to spend with family and friends, eating, drinking and being merry – but once January rolls around and the smell of candy canes, chocolates and other holiday treats are gone – reality sets in and we all know it’s time to start the new year on the right track!

The New Year is time to focus on creating and meeting goals for the year ahead, and often that includes health and fitness goals. For businesses focused on service delivery in these areas, this is your Christmas! You’ll often see ads from large fitness giants encouraging people to get active and fit for the new year, and that’s for good reason!

It’s estimated one in five people have gym memberships, and that number is down to increase in the first two months of the year. If you’re a regular gym goer, you can see this for yourself. January and February can take some patience on your part as first-timers may be taking up all your favourite equipment. Health regimens are similar, with many consumers looking for the latest healthy eating and cleansing recipes to get out of those holiday snacking patterns.

If you’re wondering how your health or fitness business can make the most out of these two key months, read on for some helpful tips!

1. Plan Ahead: As they say, the best laid plans … are planned ahead! Don’t wait until December to strategize for the new year – after all, it comes around the same time every year! Since you have the ability to really boost sales during these two months, take your time to plan your campaigns. Depending on your business, different types of campaigns will work. Check out what your competitors are doing, and try to be consistent. Market your campaign on your website, via social media and in-person. A well-organized plan is a strong one!

2. Get into trade shows: North America hosts many health or fitness trade show events each new year. (Note, aside from YYCfit, they are generally either in the health or fitness category, rather than a mix of both.) As part of your marketing planning, do some research to see what shows are coming up that fit your business type. A lot of these shows book fast, so be sure to get in there early!
*If you’re interested in booking at YYCfit’s 2017 show, click here.

3. Offer Seasonal Specials or Discounts
Seasonal sales, promotions or discounts are a great way to attract new customers who are feeling strapped from the spending spree of December. Consider a discount if they purchase before the end of January, for example. You can do special promos where you combine products and/or services, or even do a “refer-a-friend and get a discount” promo. Whatever you do, just keep it simple and consistent across all your marketing platforms.

4. Provide great content
You’ve heard the saying by now – Content is King. This is particularly true in the health and fitness world. there are thousands of health and fitness related businesses out there, so it can be difficult for potential clients to find you and then trust you. By providing high quality content such as blogs/vlogs, videos or graphics you can not only attract attention but effectively stand out from your competitors by showing them how you’re different.